Do you believe in what you want?

Wow, can't believe it has been a month. Time for a quick update and some ramblings...

Raced the Sahuarita Triathlon on Memorial Day, and it was a great time! A low-key race on a nice course, close to home. I went into it with high expectations, but was surprised by the very competitive (yet small) field. Good stuff! Highly recommended if you're in the Tucson area next year.

Besides that, boy am I keeping busy! Working hard on all fronts. Following a kick-butt training plan for Vineman 70.3 (thanks to Grasky Endurance). Lots of hard work and some hamstring issues a couple weeks ago. However, the pain is now gone and the workouts are clicking. I think I'll be running on all cylinders in a month. 25-29ers beware :)

Also back in class at the U of A. I was hoping to defend in July, but a not-so-pleasant surprise--my class goes through August! This means I can't defend during the summer, and more importantly I will not officially graduate until December (and I have to pay tuition...again). Gotta love the hoops that the U makes you jump through. Work has been crazy as well. Working days and nights on proposals in hopes that I can land a couple other environmental restoration-type projects to carry me through for a while. Family rocks! The girls are growing up SO fast. Luckily I've been able to be especially involved lately thanks to a lack of fieldwork commitments.

A diversion...on an advertisement at the Rec Center (for personal training), there is a simple rhetorical question that has really got me thinking: "Are you reaching your potential?" Of course this is made to get people thinking that they need a trainer to help them "get in shape" or "get healthy" or whatever, like there is some ideal place that you should be. After musing over this dumb poster for a couple days I finally realized it: no one is "reaching their potential". Think about it...it's impossible. For training, there is always something else I could be doing. Stretch more. Do yoga. Weight training. Ice baths. "Optimize" this, that, and the other thing. What happens when the new "best method" comes along? What about not enough hours in the day?

Now, pile on the rest of your life; other areas where you should be reaching your potential:

Work? I should be doing research right now. Writing proposals (two due next Tuesday). Searching for other business opportunities.

Family? I should be watching TV with my wife. I should be researching parenting methods. I should stop training so that I can help out more. I should call my parents/sister/brother/grandma more often.

School? Um, "optional" homework? I should be making sure I get an A in my last class to keep my 4.0 for my PhD program. The material (calculus applications) is stuff I will probably never use. But what if I need it? I should be spend every waking (and sleeping) hour thinking line integral this or divergence theorem that. I have papers to publish...I should be writing/editing/submitting.

Let's add to the list: community involvement, looking for other tri sponsors, blogging, fixing up the backyard, cleaning my bike, cleaning our cars, socializing (ha!). There is no end. Show me someone you think has reached his/her potential. I tell you that you're wrong.

So what does this mean? Not sure :) Just another way of saying that I need to prioritize I guess. Do the things you have to and pick and choose the things that you want to do. Doubt your priorities and figure out what you need/want. If something unimportant impacts the important things MAKE A CHANGE. We only live once, right? I'll wrap up by saying that I don't hesitate to doubt my priorities. Let's just say that I'll be thinking long and hard about priorities, needs, and wants while I'm wrapping up school. Maybe a change will be in the works for 2010. In the meantime--day by day...

this time it's on my own

Another tri in the books! Today was the Tempe International in Tempe, Arizona. I raced the olympic, and it was my first tri since collegiate nationals. My training has been pretty consistent since nationals, so I'm still in decent racing shape. I was by no means tapered though...still sore from Masters practice on Friday, and finally recovered from a one-day flu-type bug on Tuesday. My expectations were moderate...I wasn't set on any given time--I've realized that time goals are generally a bad idea because you never know what the actual course conditions, course length, weather, crowds, etc. are going to be like. Anyway, I wanted to go for an age-group podium and see how low I could go. Also had some equipment changes this week. I swapped out my HedJet C2 69 combo for a Blackwell Disk and 100. I only had the chance to ride them for a couple short bricks this week, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect.

Quick race report (these things all seem the same unless something goes spectacularly wrong or right *spoiler* neither of which occurred). Swim was really good! Race-day announcement was no wetsuits (1st indication that a PR wasn't in the forecast)--exactly 79 degrees! For the first time I set myself in front, right in the middle of the pack. Yes, Masters has helped my confidence already. I went out HARD, then went into sustainable pace after a couple hundred meters. Started catching previous waves by the ~700 m buoy. A few of us from my wave were out front, but couldn't manage to put together any decent pack. On the way back in EVERYONE went around the wrong buoy--a sprint buoy that was left out for the earlier race. I knew it, but I wasn't going to be the only one to turn on the wrong buoy. Anyway, out of the water and onto the bike!

I knew that 2-4 people from my wave were out ahead of me, so my goal was to not let more people by than I passed. It worked! I started out moderate, then started going hard about 3 miles in. The new wheel setup felt great, although the sound of brakepads on carbon just isn't a good one! I blew by a ton of people, and was passed by exactly ONE person on the bike. My luck, it was a 28 year-old like 1/4-mile from the end of the bike. Flying dismount, quick T2, and I was out in front of him...for the first 200 yards or so :). He came flying by, and I knew I would bonk if I tried to follow.

For once on the run, I didn't get passed much, and it got my hopes up for a high finish. I failed to think about the people out of the water in front of me though... Anyway, another guy in my AG got me at about mile 4, but a quick look over my shoulder and no one was to be seen. UNTIL about 1/4-mile from the finish... Ryan, a friend from the Tucson Triathlon Club came flying by. I kept on his heels for about 100 m, but didn't have the guts to hold on. I was still pretty confident in a top 3 AG, but the race results don't lie...4th by less than a minute. ahhhh, crap...

Lessons learned? Sure: 1) I need to learn how to run. 2) I need to HTFU on the run. 3) There are always people behind. Don't look back (too much), just go as hard as you possibly can. 4) Bike for show, run for dough. 5) I need to learn how to run.

So, what now? I think I'll go for a run! Tomorrow... I'll keep following the expert advice and training plan of Brian Grasky, and look forward to next weekend. Sahuarita sprint triathlon in Sahuarita (imagine that!).

Oops, that got longer than expected. Anyway, this post was supposed to be about something related to the title (that line at the top). This was my first race in the new TriSports.com kit; my first race post-TriCats; and I traveled without Shannon and the girls. It was so different! So much less stress. I followed my own schedule, ate when and where I wanted, and was checked in and sitting in my hotel bed at 3:30 pm. Did it help my race? Maybe, but I didn't notice. Was it more relaxing? I guess. Was it as fun/rewarding/exciting? Nope.

Being involved with the team was awesome, even if I felt like an old guy. I hope those guys and gals realize how great it is that they're involved on a team. But for me, it's time to move on. I'm now part of the Tucson Triathlon Club, and I look forward to being on a team of a different sort. Meeting other families like ours who know that swim/bike/run is a ton of fun, even if it's hard work. It might not always be fun. We don't always meet our goals of PRs, top-whatever, or even finishing, but the journey is rewarding.

I'm also looking forward to getting to know the TriSports.com employees and athletes. Today I had the chance to meet Sue Meno and chat for a minute with Mike Montoya, whom I believed both found their way to the podium today. Shannon Driscoll and Leo Carillo (other TriSport.com athletes that I know from training in Tucson) also stepped up. Still waiting to hear how the Tucson Triathlon Club did in the Club Championship today, but I'll update when I know.

Anyways, off for a beer and some rest. Hope to see you out there training and at Sahuarita. This time the family should be there!